Il gorgoneion in pietra da Axòs e la modificazione del tipo a Creta tra modelli orientali e greci

This paper analyses a stone sculpture of a Gorgoneion found in Axos (Crete), whithout any informations about the context of the find; the gorgoneion was surely worked again for a secondary use. This sculpture is part of the small series of the Cretan gorgoneia between the Orientalizing type of the Gortyn pinakes and the fully Corinthian type of the Dreros temple bronze disk. Therefore, the Axos gorgoneion goes back as early as 625-590 BC. Behind its linear drawing and its unusual character, the dominant Corinthian type is evident, even if it is changed in an original creation and is mixed with other iconographic traditions. The Axos gorgoneion was probably part of the decoration of a sacred building but its original position is difficult to establish because the block was worked for the secondary use